Growth Characteristics of <italic>Allium microdictyon</italic> in Forest Cultivation

Abstract

Background and objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of the cultivation environment of <i>Allium microdictyon</i> in forest cultivation on leaf growth characteristics and antioxidant activity.Methods: One-year seedlings of <i>Allium microdictyon</i> were planted in test sites with different elevations and slopes in a forest. Each test site was selected on the south-facing slope and north-facing slope each at 700 m and 500 m above sea level, and each test site was created within a straight-line distance of 200m. Leaf characteristics were investigated and antioxidant enzyme activity were measured from April to June the following year after planting.Results: The 500m sites reached the maximum leaf size about a week earlier than the 700m sites, and the maximum leaf area was doubled in the same periods and higher in the south-facing slope than the north-facing slope. In the south-facing slope in Misan-ri, where the growth was the fastest, the total nitrogen (T-N) in soil also showed a high content. Regarding the antioxidant activity according to the planting site and harvest time, there was little difference in superoxide dismutase (SOD), but catalase increased until the time of release and then decreased thereafter. Malondialdehyde (MDA), a measure of the degree of lipid peroxidation, decreased until the harvest date and then slightly increased.Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it is possible to control the harvest date by adjusting the location environment such as the slope direction of the sites for forest cultivation of <i>Allium microdictyon</i>. Catalase and MDA tended to be proportional or inversely proportional depending on the harvest date, serving as most active indicators of change in physiological activity.